singing in the dead of night

this is the green wall i painted in my room. i had always left it empty because it was so beautiful and textured just with the paint. but lo and behold this beautifully delicate gold bird found it's way to my little room and landed there... i think it looks absolutely wonderful, yes? [the perfect amount of negative space :)]

the bird was actually a thank you gift from a dear friend - i semi-forced her to move away from a horribly abusive man-friend in queens last friday and crash at my place while she got her life back in order. as many people close to me know, this proved incredibly stressful in the first days. abusive and manipulative relationships are not to be trifled with, and it is scary how much damage they can inflict on usually sane women. but the grand news of it all is that my friend has absolutely triumphed in the last days - despite a few setbacks.... - and i am so so SO proud of her for the changes she's made. she's becoming a different person - independent and self-motivated and a bit wiser. the future is so bright! and now i have this lovely bird here to remind me of such grand life lessons :)

and of course! yes, unicef is proving to be wonderful. i admit i have guilt complexes about the whole notion of the UN and IGOs and real poverty in the grand scheme of the world and all that, but i think working inside unicef for awhile will be the absolute best learning tool i could have. i'm enormously grateful for it.

so i do hope all is well with everyone tonight - best wishes from our little isle manhattan!